


our love's the only thing that could matter

by wastelanderness



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Possible smut later, References to Depression, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 08:08:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13520109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wastelanderness/pseuds/wastelanderness
Summary: She left Joja to restore her grandfather's old abandoned farm back to its former glory and, along the way, she was able to find love from an unexpected source.





	our love's the only thing that could matter

**Author's Note:**

> so i got a switch and immediately got stardew valley to start up a new file! i have it on steam where i have ~100 hours in a file where i married abigail, but i love shane so i'm gonna romance him on this new file. so this is a silly self-indulgent fic based on my farmer ness (which is basically me lmao) and shane!!
> 
> feedback would be super appreciated!!
> 
> (also shoutout to "seasons of stars" by detectiveknight and "for a long time looking at the stars" by gingerdelight for inspiring me to write this! both are fics from the stardew fandom i highly recommend!!)

Ness had been fed up.

Working for Joja Co. for the last two or so years of her life had been the most soul-crushing, anguishing experience ever. At the start, she had been bright-eyed and optimistic about the future, _her_ future. But things had quickly soured. It had been like she was back in high school, dealing with bullies and the different cliques, both of which were absolutely ruthless and ready to backstab anyone in a moment's notice. Not to mention that the two friends she had made in her cubicle sector of the office had quit within a few months of each other because they had been able to get out. With Ness...it hadn't been that easy. Her previous job was working at a restaurant, after which she declared she never wanted to work in food service again. She had seen an opening with Joja because they were willing to train her thoroughly in what she needed to know for the job. But it came to pass that working at Joja was leading her in the direction of an early grave. The stress of the workload paired with having to deal with a group of young women who loved nothing more than gossiping about every little thing they were able to dig up on you was too much.

Sitting at her desk on an ordinary Thursday, ready to have another anxiety attack over the amount of work her boss demanded she got done that day, she remembered the letter in the top drawer of her desk in her cubicle.

It was an average-sized letter in an envelope sealed with purple wax. The wax bore the symbol of her grandfather's old farm, which he had called Astoria Farm, named after his mother. Her grandfather had given it to her after he died over a year ago, but she hadn't opened it yet, due to what he said as he lay in bed, dying from an agressive battle with sickness.

"There will come a day where you feel crushed by the burden of modern life and your bright spirit will fade before a growing emptiness," he had rasped, holding Ness' hand gently. "When that happens you will be ready for this gift." Not long after, he closed his eyes and passed away with a soft, small smile on his face. She had been devastated and sobbed onto the blanket of his bed, but swore to not open the letter until it was appropriate. She wanted to uphold her grandfather's wishes even after he had passed on to be with Yoba in heaven.

She hastily grabbed the letter and tore it open to read it.

The letter was fairly short. It stated that, in addition to the letter, there was the deed to Astoria Farm. Her grandfather's wish was to see her restore the farm to its former glory and start over, start life anew away from the busy society of the city. Ness had read the letter over and over before looking over the deed to the old, forgotten farm from her grandfather's youth. Ness had always been told stories of what life was like on the farm - her grandfather had left it years ago to live in a retirement home in Zuzu City, due to his health - but she had never been there.

Ness saw this as her second chance, her way out of her life at Joja. It didn't take more than ten seconds for her to pack up the couple of things she had kept in her cubicle, tell her boss she's quitting effective immediately, and hightail it back to her apartment. Ness gave herself the weekend to sell the few pieces of furniture she owned to her friends or people on Craigslist and pack the few belongings she actually wanted to bring to the farm. By Sunday night, the apartment was empty save for a few things.

And at the crack of dawn on Monday morning, she was on a bus bound for her new home - Stardew Valley.

* * *

It was still early when Ness finally got to Stardew Valley. When the bus finally ground to a halt, she noticed that there was an older gentleman and a red-headed woman, presumably waiting for her. With her suitcase and old, ratty backpack in tow, Ness got off the bus and took her first steps into the sleepy little town. Instantly, Ness noticed that it was beautiful here. She had never been here while her grandfather was alive, but she immediately wished she had. Her breath was taken away by the beauty of the nature and the smell of fresh air.

"Welcome to Stardew Valley! You must be Ness," the older man said with a big smile. He offered her his hand and Ness shook it firmly. "I'm the mayor of this town, but you can call me Lewis! This here is Robin Oakley. She's the local carpenter who lives here with her family." The red-haired woman, whose name was Robin, smiled big and, instead of extending a hand to shake, she took Ness into her arms and hugged her firmly. The brunette was taken aback by the sudden physical affection, but she can't say she didn't mind. It made the part of her brain that was worrying what people were going to think of her relax for the time being.

"I'm so excited to have a new face around here!" Robin exclaimed. She eventually let go and held Ness at arm's length. "Lemme show you to your new place!" Lewis excused himself to go take care of some mayor duties as the red-haired woman led Ness down the road to see her new farm. As they passed through the entrance, Ness almost had a heart attack.

The property was completely overgrown. Patches of grass that were as tall as Ness's waist grew out of the ground and there were so many trees on the east side of the farm, it was like a small forest. Not to mention, there were rocks and random patches of grass everywhere. The brunette woman was in awe of what she was up against. She knew the property had fallen into disrepair, but never expected it was _this_ bad. Robin picked up on Ness's silence and decided to speak up.

"I know it looks bad, but I promise you'll be able to clear it in no time," Robin said gently. "If you need any help, just let someone know. I'm sure they'll be more than willing to help. Also, the mayor and I scraped together some funds to get you some tools." Ness turned to her as she went over to the small farmhouse on the property and picked up a small chest. Inside, Ness found a pickaxe, a hatchet, a hoe, a small watering can and a scythe. Robin went on to explain that Clint, the local blacksmith, would be more than happy to fix her up with some upgrades when she had the money and materials for it. The redhead also explained that if Ness wanted to expand her house in the future or build things like a barn or a coop for animals, Robin was going to be the one she wanted to find. The woman rambled on a bit more about various things she needed to know, but all the information at one time was making her head swim. It must have been evident on her face that she was experiencing an information overload and Robin quickly ceased.

"I'm so sorry," she babbled. "I got carried away. How about I help you load your things into the house and then you can go around and meet everyone? That'll be a nice chance for you to get the layout of the town and introduce yourself to your new neighbors." Ness nodded, trying to retain even a single thing the older woman had told her, and Robin let out a soft giggle. Robin led her inside the house - a small, two-room shack that contained a bedroom and bathroom, but lacked, to Ness's slight dismay, a proper working kitchen - and helped her get everything situated. They put sheets on the bed, made sure the plumbing and water heater's were up to code, and situated Ness's few possessions in a way that she liked. After about an hour, it was like Ness had lived her for longer than just this morning.

"Wonderful!" she said, clapping her hands together. "Now, I have to run back to my house. All you have to do is walk north from here and you can get into town. I'm sure if you find Lewis somewhere, he'll be more than happy to provide you with a map to the valley." The brunette nodded and waved goodbye to Robin before looking around her room. A smile slowly spread across her face as she flopped down onto her bed.

This was her new place. Her new start. And she never had to think about working at Joja again. Ness almost had to pinch herself for fear that this was all just a dream.

After a few minutes feeling giddy at the new opportunities in front of her, Ness walked out of her house and headed toward the town to meet the locals.

* * *

For a seemingly small and sleepy village nestled near the mountains and the Gem Sea, it was a fairly large town. There was the Stardrop Saloon, which was run by a kind man named Gus. Gus had told her the Stardrop was the place to be at night, seeing as everyone stopped in for a few drinks or a meal a couple of times a week. Near the saloon was Pierre's store where Ness could find seeds so she could grow her own produce and various other amenities like fertilizer for said crops. He was also selling a new backpack, which Ness was extremely interested in seeing as her old one was almost torn to shreds for years of use. Next door to Pierre was the local doctor's office and hospital. It was a small place run by a man named Harvey along with his assitant (and apparently Robin's step-daughter), Maru.

She visited the houses of the valley's residents as well. She met Jodi and her two sons, Vincent and Sam, as well as Hailey and Emily - two sisters who were so different from each other, it was like night and day. Neighboring the forest was Marnie and her niece, Jas. She had also mentioned something about her nephew staying there, but he was currently at work.

"He usually goes to the Stardrop at night if you'd like to meet him," Marnie said. A look of sadness flashed across her face, but Ness didn't dare pry for the information. She had just met the woman after all.

Making her way off of Marnie's property, Ness headed Mayor Lewis's house as well as the library that was across the river and the blacksmith's shop, which Ness remembered that Robin had briefly talked about earlier. Ness gave Clint a brief introduction - the man was very quiet and reserved, she could already tell - and left to head towards the direction of Robin's house to meet the rest of her family. As she made her way toward the mountains, a building came into view in front of her. It was a bright blue building with the Joja logo emblazoned on it. Ness felt her heart sink to somewhere in the bottom of her stomach.

"Oh, Yoba, there's a fuckin' JojaMart here," Ness sighed, scrubbing a hand over her face. The universe just _had_ to punish her somehow. The building was just as obnoxious as the one she had been to in Zuzu City. There was a delivery truck outside and Ness could even see two men loading boxes off of the truck and into the building. Even looking at the building for more than ten seconds made her feel disgusted. She knew exactly what kind of shitty business tactics Joja resorted to in order to keep JojaMarts up and running and driving business away from other places.

Ness decided quickly that it was best to go visit Robin instead of giving in to that sick part inside of her screaming at her to go in.

* * *

The brunette visited with Robin for a while and, over a mug of tea, learned more about the town. She also elaborated on the things Ness hadn't caught earlier - the Community Center was the abandoned green-colored building she had seen on her walk over here, the mines were able to be accessed in a few days after damn Joja was done removing the boulder in front of the entrance, and Linus, the caveman-looking fellow Ness had seen behind Robin's house, wasn't dangerous. The information was still an overload, but Ness repeated the important things she needed to know over in her head. It was mostly the names of all the villagers - she swore to herself that her habit of being terrible with people's names was over - but there were a few key bits of info she wanted to keep at the front of her brain.

She also told Robin a little about where she came from. She didn't mention Joja by name, but did say that she had a shitty job at a huge corporation and the way she was being treated as well as the level of anxiety she felt just by being there contributed to her leaving. Robin had patted her on the back and said that she truly believed it was going to be the right decision. Ness hoped so.

The sunny spring afternoon slowly turned into dusk and before Ness knew it, the red-haired woman was yawning and stretching as she moved to set her tea mug in the sink.

"I'm gonna head to bed a little early tonight, but if you want to, I can walk you down to the Stardrop, since you mentioned wanting to go by while we were talking earlier," Robin offered with a kind smile. Ness nodded.

"I'd definitely like that. Thank you so much for the hospitality," she replied.

Thankfully, it was a short walk down to the saloon from Robin's place. Ness had already walked a few miles just trekking across the town to introduce herself to everyone and her legs were slowly giving out on her. It was the most walking she'd done in a couple months. Thank God the whole "learning to farm" thing looked like it was going to whip her into the best shape she'll have ever been in her life.

Robin bid Ness goodnight and walked back towards her home in the mountains. As the brunette stood outside the door to the saloon, her anxiety flared up. She worried about what was going to happen. Who was going to be here. Sucking in a breath through her teeth, Ness steeled her determination to actually go inside and not run back to her house. She was exhausted from the social interactions of the day, but she just wanted to get through this right now.

She opened the door to the saloon and was immediately treated to a warm and welcoming atmosphere. A couple people were hanging around at the tables around the bar or at the bar itself and music was playing softly in the background. Ness stepped in and the door closed behind her. Well, there's no turning back now, she thought to herself as she slowly made her way to the bar. Gus was behind the counter, drying a pint glass, while Emily, the blue-haired girl she had met earlier, set to work on organizing the drinks they had out.

"Ah, Ness!" Gus boomed with a grin. "Welcome back! What can I get started for you?" The atmosphere mixed with Gus's inviting, welcoming aura made Ness's nerves settle for the time being. Her eyes scanned the specials on the menu board at the bar for a split second, deciding that getting a little food in her system was the best idea after a long day.

"I'll get the Parsnip Soup and a glass of water, please," Ness replied. Gus nodded and moved to the counter behind the bar to get some from the large crockpot they had simmering below all of the alcohol selections. As her soup was being ladled into a bowl, Ness looked around. Next to the fireplace was someone she hadn't seen yet - he was a dark-haired guy in an old blue hoodie drinking from a pint glass filled with beer. He had a slight stubble on his face and was slightly chubby, mostly likely the beginning of a beer belly with the way he was drinking. He was actually...really cute. Even though she really didn't drink much, she absolutely would not mind sharing a beer and getting to know him. She must have been staring pretty intently because the guy looked her over for a split second before returning to the beer in his hands.

Ness blushed slightly as she realized that he had caught her staring and quickly swiveled her head to face Gus again. But as she was turning to look in front of her, time seemed slowed to a halt.

Emily, who had been dancing slightly as she rinsed off pint glasses, suddenly moved and bumped into Gus as he was turning. Then, by some cosmic force that wanted to curse Ness for even trying to have a good day, Gus spilled the fresh bowl of Parsnip Soup all over Ness's clothes. After the realization hit everyone, time seemed to resume speed. The hot soup from the crockpot wasn't burning her skin, thank Yoba, but it was very gross and hot and uncomfortable. The smell of vinegar and parsnips filled her nostrils as tears started to prick in the corners of her eyes.

"Oh dear Yoba, Ness, I am so sorry!" Gus began. "Emily, I told you that you need to be more careful sometimes!" The blue-haired woman had her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide in shock. Ness's head shot down to look at her lap, praying to anyone out there to not start crying in public on her fucking first day in her new home. She looked up briefly and made eyes with Gus. She was about to say she was fine, but how upset she was must have shown on her face because Gus started looking around frantically.

"Shane!" Gus boomed, looking at the jacket-wearing man. He flinched slightly and made eye contact with Gus, obviously startled at the sudden shout of his name. "You're not doing anything. Can you please escort Ness back home, please?" The bartender moved swiftly and pulled out a styrofoam cup and lid, packing up some soup and setting it on the counter with a plastic spoon. In the time it took to package the soup, the man in the blue jacket - whose name was _Shane_ , according to Gus - hadn't moved any closer to Ness. Gus gave Shane a glare and he eventually relented with a sigh, setting down his beer mug and pulling out a couple of coins to pay for his drinks.

"Fine," he muttered. "Let's get you home, kid." Ness grabbed up the to-go cup of soup and kept her head down as she left the saloon with Shane at her side. She noticed he smelled like beer and some cheap cologne or bodywash. _At least he didn't smell like soup_ , Ness thought to herself. The two walked in silence in the direction of the farm for a little while before Shane, surprisingly, piped up.

"You must be the new farmer," Shane said, stuffing his hands deep into his jacket pockets. "When I got home from work, my aunt Marnie told me about you. Said you were a very nice girl who was new to town and taking care of Astoria Farm. Also said I'd apparently like you." Ness blushed a deep shade of red, but, thankfully, Shane wasn't looking at her.

"O-Oh," Ness began. "You must be Marnie's nephew then. I-I didn't get to meet you when I went by earlier. Well, I'm Ness, and, yes, I'm taking over Astoria Farm." Shane fell quiet even as they walked onto the farm. Ness climbed the small flight of stairs up to her house, but Shane didn't follow, he was rooted to the spot looking over the disheveled farm. He let out a low whistle, probably expressing that he didn't know the farm was this run-down.

"Well, my night of drinking away my problems has been ruined, so I'm going to head home. Goodnight," Shane said after a moment. The man's voice was dripping with bitterness and, just like that, Ness felt even worse. He turned on his heel and walked back toward town. Ness didn't even say thank you - she was still so traumatized by what exactly had just happened. The dark-haired man had barely set foot off the property before Ness rushed inside and quickly changed into some pajamas.

The brunette flopped onto the bed with a thud and curled up under the covers, finally allowing herself to cry from the embarrassment and wondering if this really _was_ where she was destined to be.


End file.
